Life or Death: How Gaza’s Ambulance Shortage Risks Patient Survival
Key Highlights:
- Fuel Crisis: Over 36% of Gaza’s ambulance fleet is out of kindness due to fuel deficiencies.
- Targeting of Medical Personnel: ambulances and paramedics have suffered attacks, increasing worries about war offenses.
- Makeshift Transport: Civilians use personal vehicles and carts due to the shortage of working ambulances.
Humanitarian Emergency: Gaza’s healthcare scheme is facing a destructive collapse, with the ruthless conflict worsening an already alarming condition. Every second counts for the wounded, yet the fleet of ambulances that serve this surrounding area is in a state of emergency.
Ambulances: A Lifeline Under Siege
Gaza healthcare crisis: The ambulances in Gaza are critical for holding lives, yet many have been harmed and out of courtesy due to a severe fuel shortage and restrictions on spare parts.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society has reported that 18 ambulances, designating 36% of its caravan, have stopped operations because they lack fuel, with no deliveries from the United Nations for over eight days.
The siege has prevented spare parts from entering Gaza for more than a year, leaving many automobiles inoperable or barely functional.
Challenges Faced by Emergency Services:
Read More About Ambulance Shortages and Healthcare Crisis in Gaza: The remaining ambulances are under tremendous pressure, often working without required medical supplies or proper keeping. Paramedics must use makeshift solutions to transport patients, such as private vehicles or horse-drawn carts.
Ambulances themselves have also become targets, which exacerbates the situation; reports suggest that they have been struck directly during airstrikes, killing patients and medical personnel.
Humanitarian Impact:
The humanitarian concern in Gaza is worsening daily. With roadblocks, airstrikes, and destroyed infrastructure problematizing access to care, paramedics often find themselves unable to reach the injured in time.
The Israeli military’s efforts have drawn global condemnation, with indictments of targeting medical facilities and personnel. As the conflict continues without signs of abating, the question remains: how much longer can Gaza’s emergency services endure under these conditions?
